Will Poulter To Star As Pennywise The Evil Clown In Remake Of Stephen King’s ‘It’

A name and face have now been chosen to portray one of the scariest characters in the history of movies and television. Actor Will Poulter has been chosen by New Line and True Detective director Cary Fukunaga to play the role of Pennywise the evil clown in a remake of Stephen King’s It.

Variety revealed that the We’re the Millers and Maze Runner star is in negotiations to play Pennywise. Often seen in the form of a friendly (?) clown, Pennywise is actually a terrifying monster and the worst fear that a child can possibly imagine.

The remake of Stephen King’s masterful It is going to be directed by Cary Fukunaga. It will be split into two feature films and that reflect the original, which was over four hours long.

As Bloody Disgusting pointed out, the original It told the story of a group of outcast kids who banded together to form a friendship over summer break. Together, they learn of an evil monster who is haunting their town and taking on their greatest fears.

With that, the kids not only battle Pennywise but their own demons as well. They eventually go their own separate ways but are brought back together as adults once Pennywise has decided to return for more scares.

The original was a television miniseries in 1991 that starred John Ritter and a host of others. Tim Curry masterfully took on the role of Pennywise and was absolutely terrifying in his portrayal of everyone’s greatest fears.

Fukunaga wrote the screenplay for the It remake along with Chase Palmer.

A number of actors were looked at for the role of Pennywise, including Ben Mendelsohn and Mark Rylance. New Line eventually wanted to go in a younger direction, and it appears as if Fukunaga was absolutely taken with Will Poulter’s audition.

The 22-year-old Poulter is ready to take on a villainous lead in a film and that is exactly what he will have to do with Pennywise. Critics have already raved about his role in the upcoming film The Revenant in which he plays a robber who leaves Leonardo DiCaprio for dead after he’s mauled by a bear in the woods.

Stephen King’s It is getting the remake treatment, and the first big hurdle has been passed as the iconic Pennywise has been cast. It’s going to be interesting to see who will star alongside Will Poulter in the film.

[Image via Getty Images – Manda Edwards]